I think that it is important to have a syllabus availiable for your students the first day of class. Also the instructor should go over the syllabus with the students to make sure they understand the course requirements and content, and to answer any questions that the students may have.

I am a true believer that first impressions are lasting one. As an instructor we should present ourselves in a professional respectful manner. Our students are looking at how we present and carry ourselves so we must stay on top of our game.

Our college promotes the following first-day activity. It's called "HABES," and it comes from The Pacific Institute, I think. H - Habits A - Attitude B - Beliefs E - Expectations S - Strategies You ask the students questions regarding each element as they pertain to your particular course. These can be discussed or put in writing. Here's an example for an English composition class: What are your habits when it comes to writing? Do you write lists? Journal? Letters? Post-its? etc. What is your attitude toward writing? What are your beliefs about writing? Write a sentence that begins "I believe writing . . . " What are your expectations for this course? What are your expectations of yourself? What are your expectations of your instructor (me)? What strategies will help you succeed?

Students with learning disabilities sometime require more time and patience than our average learner. As an instructor we must understand their situation and offer resources and help that they may need.

As an instructor I think that it is important to be able to understand differences in students and to be able to accommodate them. We should know what our students special needs are so that we can help or either offer them the resources that can help them.

I personally like for my students to work in groups. It gives them a chance to express themselves while utilizing the opinions or help from their peers. Also it allows them to learn how to work with others, teamwork!

I'm a fairly new instructor and I have found out that when I do move from behind the desk, which is my comfort zone I do feel as though I'm relating with my students better and my word flow is better. So I do believe that instructors should move around not pace but at least move twice during a lecture.

From my experience, less is more on Power Points. The less text the better. Power Points should be visual cues for you and your students... nothing more. Excessive text means they re writing and not listening to you.

One thing I have noted is that instructors who have taught a course many times seem to go into a lecture cold. I feel you need to review the material EVERY time you teach it... first or fortieth time.

So I did.

On the first day of class I show a power point that is all about me. I give my background, relevant job experience and some personal information (hobbies, interests, etc). It feels like adding the personal information breaks down some barriers... makes me a person, not just an instructor. That being said, I still maintain a strict student-teacher dichotomy. Do you think this is a good idea?

How can you assess whether a student truly has a disability or just a language barrier?

Because online instructors do not have the ability to conduct 'face to face' question/answer sessions, asking questions is conducted in several ways. First, one can ask a direct quesiton and wait for the reasponse. Second, questions can be developed as a 'poll' that participating students answer. The results are viewed by the class and further discussion can ensue from the results. Finally, the instructor can e-mail a list of discussion "questions" to students prior to the Live Chat - this way the students have time to either research the answers or have their answers ready for the discussion. This last plan really helps the 'at risk' student, who may have difficulty responding quickly or needs more time to work on the correct text to use.

Does our body language speak louder than our verbal language?

Every now and then, I get a student who attempts to dominate the classroom...speaking first and out of turn, bringing negative attitudes out, bringing up off topic discussions, and challenging just for the sake of challenging. This is the type of student that I have the most difficulty in dealing with. They seem to be putting on a kind of front...not for my benefit... but to establish him/her self as dominant in the classroom. Any suggestions on how to deal with this type of dominator?

what type of relationship should we have with out students that will foster a great learning environment?

In order to modify testing situation, the student must have a statement from Student Support Services. It is the student's responsibility to notify the support center and then the instructor for accomadations.

Learning Assessment help to keep the student engage in the lesson that you are teaching them.

I have enjoyed reading about the importance of teaching to different learning styles and have read so much about this topic over the past 10 years or more. I can certainly appreciate this topic as I may self have always retained more information when it is presented in a discussion and also written on the board with visuals to back it up. Students grasp and gain so much more knowledge through several means of giving information. Happy teaching... Mary Beck

Significant pre-planning is required to ensure that the learning environment supports the desired delivery of the lesson plan and subsequent desired student experiences for the course material and student competencies.